how-to
How to Report Workplace Violence at Work
Table of Contents
- Why Reporting Workplace Violence Matters
- Understanding the Workplace Violence Reporting Procedure
- Creating an Effective Workplace Violence Incident Report
- What to Include in an Incident Report at Work
- Reporting Threats at Work: When and How
- Handling Special Circumstances
- What Happens After You Report
- Your FREE Downloadable Resources
- Frequently Asked Questions
Last Updated: October 19, 2026
Why Reporting Workplace Violence Matters
To report workplace violence is essential for staff safety. When incidents go unreported, patterns stay hidden and risks escalate. Your organisation needs accurate records to identify trends, protect vulnerable workers, and make informed decisions about prevention.
Unreported incidents create blind spots. Managers can't intervene if they don't know what's happening. Staff feel unsupported when nothing changes after an incident. Over time, this erodes confidence and increases the likelihood of serious harm.
Organisations that establish clear reporting procedures often see improvements in staff wellbeing and incident management. When people know how to report workplace violence and trust the process, they may act faster and earlier, before situations escalate.
Documentation also protects your organisation. Records demonstrate due diligence. They show regulators and insurers that you take safety seriously. They provide evidence for disciplinary action or legal proceedings if needed.
Understanding the Workplace Violence Reporting Procedure
A clear reporting procedure removes barriers to action. Staff should know exactly what to do, who to tell, and what happens next. Ambiguity delays reporting and increases risk.
Your procedure should cover:
- Who to report to (immediate manager, HR, dedicated hotline, senior leader)
- When to report (immediately, end of shift, within 24 hours)
- How to report (in person, phone, email, written form, anonymous channel)
- What information is needed (date, time, location, people involved, what happened)
- Confidentiality and data protection measures
- What happens after a report is made
- Protection against retaliation
The best procedures are simple and accessible. If staff have to navigate bureaucracy to report an incident, many won't bother. Make it easy. Remove friction.
Different organisations need different approaches. A small team might report directly to the owner. A large NHS trust needs formal channels and trained incident coordinators. The procedure must fit your context.
Creating an Effective Workplace Violence Incident Report
An incident report captures the facts. It becomes the official record. Poor reports create confusion. Detailed reports enable action.
Your report form should be straightforward. Use plain language. Avoid jargon. Ask for specific information, not vague impressions.
Key elements:
- Reporter details: name, role, contact information
- Incident date and time: exact or approximate
- Location: specific area or room
- People involved: names, roles, relationships
- What happened: sequence of events in plain language
- Who witnessed it: names of people who saw or heard the incident
- Any injuries: physical harm or medical attention needed
- Actions taken: what staff did immediately after
- Follow-up needed: medical review, police involvement, support for affected staff
Keep the form short. Long forms discourage reporting. A single page is ideal. You can gather additional detail in follow-up conversations if needed.
Provide guidance on how to complete it. Show examples of good incident descriptions. Train staff on what "workplace violence" means in your context, does it include verbal aggression, threats, physical contact, or only physical assault?
What to Include in an Incident Report at Work
Accuracy matters. The report must capture what actually happened, not assumptions or interpretations.
Include the facts:
- Date and time of the incident
- Location, building, floor, room number
- People involved, names and roles of the person involved in the violence and any staff affected
- Sequence of events, what happened, in order, as observed
- Trigger, what preceded the incident, if known
- Duration, how long the incident lasted
- Behaviour, specific actions (shouting, threatening language, physical contact, thrown objects)
- Response, what staff did, de-escalation attempts, whether anyone left the area
- Injuries, any physical harm, even minor
- Witnesses, names of people who saw or heard the incident
- Evidence, CCTV footage, recordings, damaged property
- Immediate support, first aid given, staff debriefing, counselling offered
- Next steps, follow-up actions required
Use direct language. Quote threats or aggressive language verbatim if you can. Avoid phrases like "the service user was difficult", describe the actual behaviour instead.
Include context without making excuses. "Service user was tired and frustrated after a long day" explains background. It doesn't justify violence. Report both the context and the behaviour.
Reporting Threats at Work: When and How
Threats are workplace violence. They create fear and harm wellbeing. Report them immediately.
A threat is a statement or behaviour that indicates intent to harm. It can be:
- Verbal: "I'm going to hit you"
- Written: threatening messages, emails, notes
- Implied: aggressive posturing, clenched fists, raised voice combined with hostile language
- Conditional: "If you do that again, I will..."
Report threats even if they seem unlikely to be carried out. Even if the person has never acted on threats before. Even if they apologised afterwards. Threats create a hostile environment and escalate over time.
When reporting a threat:
- Report immediately or as soon as it's safe to do so
- Tell your manager, HR, or the designated incident coordinator
- Provide the exact words if you can remember them
- Describe the context and any preceding events
- Mention any previous threats from the same person
- Note whether you felt genuinely frightened
- Ask what support is available for you
Some threats require immediate escalation. If someone threatens serious harm, involves weapons, or has a history of violence, contact the police. Don't wait for internal review.
Handling Special Circumstances
Not every situation fits the standard procedure. Your organisation needs flexibility.
When Your Manager Is Involved
Reporting your manager for workplace violence creates conflict. You might worry about retaliation or damage to your working relationship.
Report it anyway. Your safety comes first.
If you're uncomfortable reporting to your manager:
- Report to their manager or senior leader
- Use an anonymous reporting channel if available
- Contact HR directly
- Speak to your union representative or staff advocate
- Contact an external body if your organisation has a whistleblowing scheme
Your organisation must have a process for this. If it doesn't, create one. Staff need confidence that reporting a manager won't end their career.
Anonymous Reporting Options
Some staff prefer anonymity. They fear retaliation or don't want their name attached to a complaint.
Anonymous reporting has a trade-off. You can report what happened, but follow-up becomes harder. The organisation can't contact you for clarification. They can't check on your wellbeing.
Still, anonymous reporting is better than no reporting. Many organisations offer:
- Anonymous hotlines or text lines
- Anonymous email addresses
- Anonymous incident report forms
- Third-party reporting services
Make these options visible and easy to use. Staff need to know they exist.
Involving the Police
Contact the police if:
- Someone threatens serious harm or has a weapon
- A crime has been committed (assault, actual bodily harm, harassment)
- You or others are in immediate danger
- The incident involves a pattern of criminal behaviour
Don't wait for your organisation to decide whether to involve police. You can report to police directly. Your organisation should support you in doing so.
After police involvement, your organisation still needs to investigate and respond. Police involvement and internal investigation happen in parallel. Both matter.
What Happens After You Report
Reporting is the start, not the end. Staff need to know what happens next.
Your organisation should:
- Acknowledge the report within 24 hours
- Confirm receipt and outline next steps
- Assign an investigator if needed
- Interview witnesses
- Review CCTV or other evidence
- Determine what happened
- Decide on action (support for staff, disciplinary process, safeguarding review, police referral)
- Communicate the outcome to relevant people
- Provide support to affected staff
- Monitor for retaliation or repeat incidents
Timescales matter. Investigations shouldn't drag on for months.
Staff should know the outcome. Not every detail needs to be shared, but people deserve to know that their report was taken seriously and that action was taken.
Personal Safety Partnership Ltd. works with organisations to build systems that work, not just policies on paper, but procedures that staff actually use and trust. Our Conflict Management training helps staff recognise and de-escalate conflict before it becomes violent. Our Lone Worker Safety programme supports staff who work alone or in high-risk environments.
The goal is simple: create a culture where staff feel safe reporting incidents, confident that they'll be believed and supported, and assured that action will follow.
Your FREE Downloadable Resources
Click HERE to get your FREE tools to help you report and reduce violence in your workplace.
The tools include:
- An editable workplace violence reproting process
- A threat report form
- A “who do i report it to?” pocket card and phone wallpaper
- A sample incident report
- A “write it clearly” reporting guide
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do immediately after a workplace violence incident?
Move to a safe location first. Check for injuries and call emergency services if needed. Once safe, write down details while they're fresh: what happened, who was involved, what was said, and any witnesses. Report to your manager or HR as soon as possible. If you feel unsafe, don't delay reporting—your safety comes first. Keep copies of everything you document for your records.
Should I report a threat at work even if no physical violence occurred?
Yes. Threats are serious and must be reported immediately. They often escalate, and documenting them creates a record that protects you and helps your organisation identify patterns. Report threats to your manager, HR, or your organisation's designated reporting channel. Include exactly what was said, when, who heard it, and how it made you feel. Threats can be grounds for disciplinary action or legal intervention.
What if I'm worried about retaliation after reporting workplace violence?
Most organisations have policies protecting you from retaliation. Document any retaliation separately and report it immediately to HR or your union representative. Keep records of dates, times, and what happened. Your employer has a legal duty to protect you from reprisals or retaliation for reporting in good faith. If you're concerned, ask HR about whistleblowing protections available in your workplace.
When should I contact the police about workplace violence?
Contact the police if someone has been physically attacked, sexually assaulted, threatened with a weapon, or if you believe a crime has been committed. Call 999 for emergencies. You can also report non-emergency incidents to your local police station. Report to your workplace at the same time. Police involvement doesn't replace internal reporting—do both. Police records create an official account that may support disciplinary or civil action.
